Miami fugitive on run for 20 years found in Nicaragua

MIAMI – A fugitive from Miami who has been on the run for almost 20 years is back in federal custody after he was arrested in Nicaragua.

Robert Allen Lopez, 49, was arrested on Nov. 14, 2015, and deported to Miami on Saturday by a team of deputy U.S. Marshals.

In December of 1995, Lopez plead guilty to conspiracy to defraud the government by establishing fake companies that filed false Medicare claims totaling more than $4.3 million on behalf of patients for services that were unnecessary or never provided. Lopez was released on bail on the condition that he not leave the area without permission. In 1997, he was indicted by a federal grand jury on charges of failure to appear for sentencing.